The Royalties

Dei was very agitated while waiting for Charmaine at the coffee shop with Richard. The coffee in front of her was getting cold, and she barely touched it.

"Everything will be fine." Richard told her.

"I know that, your highness. But can you blame me for reacting this way? How did she know you were not her biological father? Who told her? I already called Coleen, and she said she never told anyone about that secret, much more to Charmaine." Dei said.

"I also called Rizza, and she denied telling the truth to Charmaine, too." Richard said.

"How about your Dad? Have he replied to your message already?" Dei worriedly asked. "But I doubt, Dad will tell her the truth, but who could it be?" Dei started throwing tantrums because of stress.

"Please calm down, your highness and for goodness sake, stop biting your nails. You are beginning stressing me, too." Richard said when his phone suddenly beeped for a text message. "Wait, Dad already replied to my message." Richard said.

He read the message and Dei saw frustrations all over Richard's face. "Was it him?" she asked.

"Ask Charmaine. That's what Dad said." Richard frustratedly replied.

After several minutes of waiting, Charmaine finally came in to the coffee shop. "Are you alright Mom? You don't look good. Are you sick?" Charmaine asked while occupying the seat beside her Mom.

"Can we stay a little longer sweetheart? I think your Mom wants to ask you something." Richard asked.

Charmaine nodded and looks at Dei. "Are you mad at me?" Dei asked.

Charmaine got surprised as she did not expect her Mom to ask her such thing. "Of course I am not. Why would I be mad at you, Mom?" Charmaine said

"You have all the reasons to get mad at me, Sweetheart, because I did not tell you the truth about your biological father. I am so sorry Mary Charmaine. I thought keeping the truth from you was the best thing to do. Please forgive me." Dei said while tears flow down to her cheeks.

"I understand Mom. Don't cry please." Charmaine said and give Dei a hug.

"How did you know about it, sweetheart?" Richard asked.

"I was in the library when I heard you and Mom talking about it in your office the other night." Charmaine replied.

"You heard us and you choose not to ask about it?" Richard uttered

"I already know about it even before I heard your conversation, Dad. Your talk just confirmed it." Charmaine told Dei and Richard. "Dad, do you remember last year when we volunteered for a blood donation in a charity event where your company was sponsoring? We do not have the same blood type, so I presume Mom and me have the same. When I went back to Cebu, I bragged about my deed of donating blood to charity. Then Mommy said, she wished she could donate blood, too. She even mentioned that her blood type is rare which is blood type AB." She further explained.

Richard and Dei remained mum and prefers to listen to Charmaine. "I got confused because my blood type is O and Dad's blood type is B. I tried searching on google and found out that parent with blood types AB and B will not produce a child with blood type O. I initially thought you adopted me, therefore I called Grandpa. According to him the adoption is impossible because he was there when Mom gave birth to me. And he is certain I was not switch with another baby in the hospital." Charmaine explained.

"Then the other night, I heard you and Dad talking about it and both of you agreed not to tell me about the truth yet." Charmaine said "Honestly Mom, I don't take it against you and please don't think I am mad at you because I am not. I completely understand why you choose to keep the truth from me."

"I love you sweetheart. I'm so sorry," are the only words Dei was able to say.

"I love you too, Mom and nothing will change." Charmaine replied "Can we go home now please? Athena is waiting for us because I want to help her with her school project. She said she will not go to sleep until we arrive. I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Thank you for understanding sweetheart." Dei said. "And about Athena …."

"What about her Mom? She already knows the truth. I had told her before I asked Grandpa. In fact she was the one who told me the possibility of meeting my biological father tonight. That is the reason she begs off to join us tonight. She actually does not have class tomorrow, Mom." Charmaine said then stood up. "Let's go home, please." She said before going out of the coffee shop, leaving Richard and Dei astonished for a while.

"Why do I have this feeling our children are playing tricks on us, your highness?" Dei asked the equally surprised Richard.

"I have the same feelings, too, my queen." Richard replied.

"I think we really have to go home. Perhaps on our way home, I could absorb all these revelations." Dei said then they both followed Charmaine at the parking lot.

Upon reaching home, Dei decided to rest after saying her goodnights to the girls while Richard finishes his work at home. He was already shutting off his laptop when Charmaine came in his office.

"Dad, are you still busy? Can we talk?" Charmaine asked.

"Of course we can, sweetheart. I am already wrapping up. Is it about what happened earlier?" Charmaine nodded then sits on the chair facing Richard.

"Thank me for what?" Richard asked.

"For treating me like your own daughter. I could not remember an instance when you made me feel different with Athena." Charmaine said.

"For your Mom and me, you are not different from her. You know, when your Mom and I separated, that was the saddest day of my life. Not only because I loose her, but because she took you away from me. I was so sad and she knows that because I was so worried you might forget about me. I may not your biological father, but I was more fortunate than Dwayne because I got a chance to be a father to you in the real sense." Richard said smiling.

"When your Mom told me that Dwayne already knows that truth, I got scared even more. And I have never been so scared in my whole life, only then. I was afraid you would decide to go with your real father since we deprive you to be with him for almost seventeen years."

"Are you still scared Daddy?" Charmaine asked.

"Yes I am." Richard honestly replied.

"Would you like me to tell you what we talked about earlier?" Charmaine asked.

"Of course, I would love hearing that." Richard said, beaming.

"First, he told me I was like Mom, from our looks, our love for books and being a swimmer." Charmaine started.

"You already know it, I always tell you that." Richard butt-in.

"He told me he was a swimmer too, as in a champion swimmer in his time." Charmaine continued.

"There is nothing new, he always brags about it." Richard again butts-in.

"Dad, please stop commenting. Let me finish what I am saying, please listen to me first." Charmaine commented and it made Richard chuckled.

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart, continue with what you are saying." Richard apologized.

"Ok, I will continue. Then he asked me if I like traveling, I said not much. I told him I preferred staying in the house and read my books. Then he asked if I have been to New Zealand. He said, he lives there for ten years. I said I had never been there, and he asked if I would like going there. I said, it can be arranged since my Dad has a flexible work schedule." Charmaine continued and saw a huge beam on Richard. "He asked me if I want to travel with him alone." Charmaine said and it made Richard frowns.

"Would you like going with him in New Zealand?" Richard said.

"I said No, I told him my Dad will not like it. Remember Dad, you told me not to trust strangers." Charmaine replied. "He also asked me to call him Dad or Papa but I begged off." She added.

"I don't see anything wrong with that. He is still your biological father." Richard confusedly asked.

"But I believe it still doesn't give him the right to ask me to call him that, Dad. Admit it or not, you will not like it if I call someone else as that. Besides, as far as I know, I only have one father. He is Richard Reyes, Jr., and that is written on my birth certificate. I am sticking to that for life." Charmaine said.

Richard did not notice the tears flowing down his cheeks as he was too overwhelmed at Charmaine's declaration. "Come here, I think I need a hug sweetheart." were the only words he uttered.

Charmaine stood up and hugs Richard. "I love you, Sweetheart. Please don't forget that."

"I love you too, Dad." Charmaine replied. "Are you still scared, Dad?" She asked.

"Not anymore, Sweetheart. Thank you my princess, you do not know how much those words means to me." Richard said and embraces Charmaine tighter.

"I'm sorry for making you scared, Dad. Also, I'm sorry for making you cry. Should I keep this a secret to Mommy?" Charmaine teases.

"No need to apologize Sweetheart. I am the one who should apologize because I doubted your love for me. I will be glad if we will keep the crying part our little secret. If your Mom found out that you made me cry, I'm sure she'll use that in bullying me. You will not like that right?" Richard said.

"Okay, Dad. This will be our secret. I love you Daddy." She replied.

"I love you more my princess." Richard said beaming with a happy heart.

"He also told me I was fiercer than Mom." Charmaine said while still hugging Richard.

"Yes you are, you got it from me." Richard replied, bragging.

"Yeah, that's what I told him too." Charmaine replied, chuckling. "Dad ... in case you do not know. I want you to know. You are my first love."

"You are making me cry again sweetheart." Richard said while hugging Charmaine tighter.